Tuesday, 29 June 2010

Big Stevie

Stevie Wonder was one of the headline acts at the Glastonbury festival down in England this year. I've been to that festival twice (something like 1990 and 1992...) but these days TV attendance is just fine for me. Last night we watched the Wonder Sunday night show on aforementioned box and it was really enjoyable - full of spirit and good vibrations and lots of the big hits. Unless I missed it he didn't do this song though (one of my very favourites of his - I'm quite a fan):

It's not one of his groovier songs and I suppose some people might think it cheesey but I just love the lyrics (they're here) - they're so unlyrical in some ways...and yet the song totally works. I mean "I don't want to bore you with it/Oh but I love you, I love you, I love you" - who would dare to write that really...it's quite radical in its way. I just love it.

Yes, it was was fab, fab and more fab. As we watched it recorded I have to admit I fastforwarded through 'I just called...' though. And I covered my ears for some of 'Happy Birthday'...but even so I loved the set. Did you watch the interview? I thought Lauren Laverne did a great job (must be nervewracking interviewing a star like him live). Radcliffe is OK too (in small doses) but I really like LL.

You can understand the Obama love too with Stevie, can't you? I'm reading Obama's 'Dreams from my Father' just now - it's very interesting, very human, well-written too.

I watched it live, so heard IJCTSILY in full for the first time since about 1986 - the ending is pure cheese. :os And poor Michael Eavis! How obvious was it that he found it impossible to say "no" to Stevie?

I do like LL - apparently the intelligentsia who comment at the Guardian insist we should hate her, but I think she'd be great company for an all-day pubday on a Sunday afternoon.

I can understand the BO-love-a-thon. But my inbuilt never-have-heroes attitude does object slightly. But one thing is certain: Stevie means it - no pretence with him.

It's just occurred to me that I've only got a handful of songs from Songs in the Key of Life on my ipod - needs to be sorted! Just need to find the CD now...

There's a difference between having heroes and being really pleased and proud about something/someone. If we have to have leaders there are some people I'd rather have up there than others! We watched very similar documentaries about George W and Obama in the past year or so (both made before the men were presidents) and my goodness the differences right across the board. You watch the Dubya one and think 'bloody hell who'd leave that guy in charge of a jellybean?' and Obama's...well, it was quite different.